(1) I give zakah to my wife’s sister who has no known sources of income as her husband is out of a job due to sickness. They survive on their meagre savings but mostly on the largesse of kind-hearted relatives. If I and my family are invited to their house for a meal can I accept the invitation and eat at their house along with my family? I feel awkward to eat at their house as they are recipients of zakah from other sources too. (2) I started a business 5 months ago. It is Ramadan so should I pay zakah on the stock-in-trade even though a year has not passed on the stock. (3) I have a house I have rented out. The rent I get is used to pay my expenses and I end up with a negligible amount at the end of the year. Should I pay zakah on the amount leftover from the rent at the time of Ramadan (which is when I normally calculate zakah) or should I pay zakah on the entire rent I receive for the year irrespective of whether I have spent it or have in my possession.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
(Fatwa: 1605/1337/B=10/1435)
It is your kindness and good conduct with your Sali. May Allah enable you for more support!
When the amount of zakah and sadaqah reached to your Sali she became its owner. Now food offered by her shall not be of zakah for you, rather it turned food of pure money. Hence you may eat at her home along with your family, there is no harm. Whenever you have a chance to eat at her home, you should give her one or two hundred rupees as gift.
(2) If you are not already sahib nisab, zakah shall be wajib after completion of one year; otherwise the year of stock-in-trade will complete when the year of gold and silver will complete.
(3) If the amount of rent, after spending the whole year alone or by including other zakah-able property, reaches up to nisab (nearly 27000) then zakah is wajib, otherwise not.
Allah knows Best!
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband
